By Haruna Salami
The Senate on Wednesday frowned at the Nigerian Customs Service’s proposed N1.13 trillion expenditure for 2025, citing deep concerns over unexplained spending surges, repeated rollover of unexecuted projects, and a potentially illegal shift from 4% to 7% cost of collection.
However, the red chamber eventually approved the budget with a stern directive that committee strengthen its oversight and forward monthly reports, amid fears that unchecked customs expenditure and revenue practices could compromise federal fiscal discipline.
“You cannot budget N1.1 trillion when last year’s performance was just 49% of a N706 billion budget,” Senator Solomon Olamilekan (Ogun West) said. “Where’s the justification for this scale of increase? This is the third year of repeating the same pattern”.
Senators took issue with sharp increases across personnel (N247bn, up from N94bn) and overhead costs (N239bn, up from N56bn) without clear explanations. “Are we hiring thousands overnight? Is there documentation?” asked Senator Tokunbo Abiru (Lagos East). “We can’t keep approving bloated budgets without clarity.”
Another flashpoint was the Customs’ self-adjusted collection rate, shifting from the statutorily approved 4% to a controversial 7%, allegedly without National Assembly approval.
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